Going to the Netherlands for Data, Returning with Collaborations

Asma Chaabouni: SPCR Post Doctoral Fellow, The University of Exeter

As a postdoctoral research fellow at APEx, University of Exeter, much of my work focuses on developing and evaluating prediction models in primary care using routinely collected healthcare data. Across projects ranging from mortality and prostate cancer prediction models to my NIHR SPCR fellowship on primary care mental health, a common challenge remains the same: how can we ensure that models developed in one setting are robust, transferable and useful in another? The Netherlands seemed like the ideal place to begin answering that question. Having completed my PhD there, I know how exceptionally well-structured Dutch datasets are.

The mission

When I applied for the NIHR Travel Bursary award, I had a relatively clear goal in mind. I wanted to explore opportunities to replicate and validate several research projects using large Dutch healthcare datasets.

Over two weeks, my visit took me to several institutions and research groups, including teams at Radboud University Medical Centre (UMC), the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL), University Medical Centre Groningen, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. I met researchers from different background such as general practice, psychology, public health, epidemiology and implementation science. It was an incredible opportunity to share my work across these different disciplines and learn about the projects they are working on.

The Ripple Effect

What I did not expect was the level of enthusiasm these projects would generate. Throughout the visit, I was struck by how quickly conversations moved beyond introductions and into genuine discussions about collaboration. Different groups connected with different aspects of the work. Rather than feeling like isolated projects, the discussions revealed a broader shared interest in understanding how healthcare data can be used to improve decision-making, patient outcomes and implementation in real-world settings.

Perhaps the clearest indication of the value of the visit was how the scope of plans expanded during the week. I arrived hoping to explore opportunities for data replication and validation studies. I left discussing reciprocal support for validation work, ideas for joint conference activities and even potential joint collaborative projects between departments.

Alongside being pleasantly surprised by the affordability of accessing and working with Dutch data resources, one of the most valuable lessons from the trip was learning how collaboration is viewed by many of the researchers I met. Collaboration is primarily about shared scientific interests, genuine intellectual curiosity and a commitment to a mission larger than any single institution or project.

The Ultimate Takeaway

In many ways, the visit achieved exactly what the NIHR Travel Bursary award is designed to support. It created space to explore new ideas, strengthen existing relationships and develop future collaborations that would have been difficult to establish remotely.

Sometimes you travel to another country looking for a dataset, but you come back with a network of international collaborators, long-term partnerships, and opportunities that far exceed your initial plans. Two weeks, four major cities, and countless cups of coffee later, I didn't just find datasets. I found a community.